Very Merry

A year ago today, a barely beta-tested LAist was born. The cast of three who primarily kept it running—two of which are still on staff—had spent a month planning and writing, trying to keep abreast of topics and issues that would interest Angelenos. We wanted to focus on the things that make LA a viable, vibrant place to live; the odds and ends that are often glossed over on the way to covering the bright star of Hollywood.

During the year since it began, LAist has changed hands, changed focus and become an alternative chronicle of the banal and bizarre of this city. I've had a great time being part of this ever-evolving entity, and I'd like to thank all the readers, old and new, who have contributed to our success, and continue to do so as we move forward.

To celebrate our first milestone, I'd like to highlight some of the most memorable posts of my stint at LAist, starting with the most infamous incident on the site, the brief war of words between our publisher and another blog. Not one of our shining moments, but probably the single most controversial post we've had. I really enjoyed the Entwistle Farms review, as it turned me on to a great new restaurant I might have otherwise missed, and our X photo post, which reminded me that no matter how long you live in LA, there are a million tiny things that you may never see. The Good Grove/Bad Grove series always made me laugh (and, in some cases, introduced favorite new expressions). Following those, my two favorite interviews have been our premiere, conversing with food critic Jonathan Gold, and the post-outing interview of The Defamer, Mark Lisanti. As far as my own posts go, I had a great time writing up the Shocktober series of posts, especially those on Jack Parsons, the Brand Library and the Lizard People.

All in all, it's been a great year. We're still here, making plans for the future and working out ways to make LAist better in the coming year. Tonight, however, we're going to forget all that betterment rah-rah-rah and get ourselves drunk. It is, after all, our birthday—and we're going to celebrate.